


Between hellos and goodbyes

by spymaster



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Exes, F/F, I have to post, Killing, Zombies, and, mostly to put the idea out there, pilot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 12:07:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18620305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spymaster/pseuds/spymaster
Summary: Kara is turned into a zombie + Lena and Kara are exesAnd a bunch of jungle ideas inspired by iZombie, Santa Clarita Diet, and Warm Bodies.Think of it as a pilot episode of a show.





	Between hellos and goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Ok I rewatched iZombie for a few episodes and I just HAD to write this idea down or else I can't go on. I literally wrote it blindly without any plan.

Kara breathed heavily, trying to open her eyes. After quite a few sharp breaths, she was finally able to lift the lids and looked around. It was dark, so dark. It wasn’t this dark when she left home earlier this morning to go on a hike. And she also remembered the sun right above her head when she fell down after a strike.

 

She hissed and rolled over. Her hands searched up and down for wounds since it was too cold for her to feel anything just yet. Nothing hurt. At least it was a good sign. But when she moved her right arm, something jabbed horribly in her back. It made her wince and paused the movement. Kara thought it made sense since she had been attacked from behind.

 

Eventually, Kara crawled to a sitting position and then, standing. It cost her more strength than she expected, which was understandable. Kara remembered falling down a _really_ long slope after being hit, and she must have lost consciousness while rolling down because now she was nowhere familiar. Kara reached to her belt and fished out the small flashlight. The tiny source of light managed to tell her that she was still quite near the parking lot, where she left her car. The fall brought her further away, but looking at the moon and stars, which was brighter than usual, Kara could tell the direction.

 

It took her more or less three hours to make it back to the car. Kara couldn't believe she was able to do it without getting thirsty. Maybe the night helped her from it by keeping her cold. But she was tired. So, _so_ tired. Yet, she drove home. She knew it was dangerous, but she was worried about the ache on her back and she _needed_ a shower.

 

Kara was covered in dirt. She stood under the flowing shower for ten minutes and the dirt, grass, some blood, and tiny rocks still kept falling down. She grunted in disgust and decided to wash her hair first. The shower went on for too long and when Kara was finally clean again, she stood in front of the mirror to examine herself.

 

There were some cuts scattering around her stomach, thighs, hands, and shoulders. The bigger cuts narrowed on her forearms since she embraced herself for the fall. Kara hooked her arms over and under her shoulders, left and right to find the wound that had been annoying her ever since she woke up. She checked her back in the mirror and there were lots of cuts, she couldn't figure out where it hurt the most, or why she didn't feel any pain at any other minor cut.

 

 _Screw it._ Kara went to bed eventually. She fell down on the soft mattress and sleep overcame her like a bullet.

 

Kara didn't catch the first alarm and she slept through the second. The third woke her up. Her hand found the snooze button, ready to tap but then she remembered it was Monday. Workday.

 

She got up, tried to do the morning routine but the tiredness from last night only reduced slightly. Kara felt like she could sleep for a thousand years. Her movements were more languid and everything she did seemed to have been put on the slow-motion mode. The appetite failed her, which was a surprise. Kara usually could eat a lot, even when she was sick. The bread didn't look appealing to her at all. She threw up after the first bite.

 

Bringing the empty stomach to work, Kara dreaded the day. At least she would feel better when she got to be surrounded by lots of animals, a perk of working at a vet clinic. She always wanted to become a vet, ever since when she was young, but medical school freaked her out so Kara thrived to become someone who could help out a vet.

 

The animals were weird today. Usually, Kara spent ten or more minutes at their beds, talking and reassuring them before the working hour started. But when she walked into the room, the pets stared at her as if they didn't recognize her. The dogs pinned their backs against the wall, gawking at her with tails between their legs. The cats hissed at her and kept the distance. The hamsters practically ran around to avoid her hand. Even the fish swam away and hid behind the decorating rocks. It struck at Kara's animal-loving heart a damaging score. She stayed affected by it throughout the day.

 

"Are you okay?" asked Eve, Kara's boss, during lunch. Miss Teschmacher gestured the empty lunchbox on the table with worries in her eyes. "I haven't seen you eat anything the entire day. And now you skip lunch? Kara, did something bad happen?"

 

Kara shook her head. "I fell last night while on a hike. But it's nothing serious. Maybe I'm just tired."

 

Eve gasped, crouching closer. "Oh my God, were you hurt? Damn it, you should have taken the day off. Heck, you should take the week off!"

 

Kara couldn't let in a word when Eve put her mother-mode on. Eve wasn't much older than Kara, but she was the oldest sister of three siblings, so taking care of others was in her nature. Kara rarely got sick, which made it much worse when she was. She still didn't know if she was actually sick, but Eve already kicked her out of the office.

 

Having the rest of the day to herself, Kara decided to go to Noonan's and have a coffee. She hadn't eaten or drunken anything since last night and she knew she would get hungry soon.

 

Kara didn't expect to rush into the bathroom and vomit right after the first sip of the coffee. Coffee tasted horrible today. It didn't even feel hot, or did it have any flavor in her mouth. The smell, which she usually loved, made her gag and Kara heaved her head down above the toilet like she was puking her inside out.

 

The stomach muscles clenched hard every two seconds, forcing her to exterminate every last drop of the tiny coffee sip. Kara gagged till her eyes water and her entire body hurt. Then she dropped to the floor and sobbed. What was happening to her?

 

Kara didn’t notice how long she was in the bathroom stall until someone slammed on the door. They sounded mad. Kara clicked her tongue, flushed the toilet and left. The janitor was staring at her the entire time of her hand-washing routine. It annoyed Kara, even though she usually didn’t care about other people’s opinion.

 

“What is it?” she asked the janitor.

 

The young woman sniffed, wiping her nose. “What did you do in there? You smell like a dead rat.”

 

Rude. Kara wanted to give the janitor a piece of her mind but decided to let it go. She sauntered her way out of the bathroom, and to the doors. The eyes of the shop owner’s dog that she caught on her way out was just like back at the clinic. Full of fear.

 

Kara felt something wrong, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. She stopped by the supermarket before getting home. She bought a lot of meat, but not because she was hungry. It was something in her muscles that told her to get as much meat as possible, even though she had no idea what to cook for dinner. Throwing all of the meat into the fridge, Kara rushed to the bed and fell asleep again.

 

___

 

The sound of the doorbell woke Kara up. Wiping hair out of her face, Kara checked the clock and realized it was already 7 p.m. It must be Lena. Grabbing a shirt, Kara sniffed it and checked to see if it was a good one. The janitor’s words might have gotten into her head after all. She also wouldn’t want to be stinky around her ex-girlfriend, no matter what.

 

“Took you long enough. We’ve been waiting.” Lena remarked when she saw Kara. She was still in her office clothes. Lena handed Kara the leash to their dog, Krypto. They had gotten him when they were still together and now they had agreed to split their time with him. Krypto would stay mostly with Kara since she worked at a vet clinic and he would stay with Lena on weekends, the only time Lena was free from work.

 

“Sorry. I slept through.” Kara took the leash and looked down at Krypto, who was hiding behind Lena’s legs. “Hey, boy. It’s me, Kara.” She extended a hand, but it only made Krypto shudder.

 

“That’s strange.” Lena crouched down and rubbed Krypto’s head. “It’s your mom, Kara. Come to mommy.”

 

Krypto sneered and growled at Kara, to both of their surprises. Kara took a step back, giving Krypto the space he needed. “I don’t know what happened. Why is he growling at me?”

 

“No idea.” Lena shook her head, giving Kara an apologetic look. “Maybe he sniffed the scent of other animals on you?”

 

Kara chuckled bitterly. “I have _not_ touched an animal today. Believe me. They all stare at me just like Krypto now. Like I’m going to eat them or something.” She lowered a little to give Krypto a sign of welcome, but that only made the dog showed his teeth even more. "He's used to me being around other animals. This is very odd."

 

Lena sighed, standing straight. "Perhaps he needs some time to adjust. He hasn't been this long away from you."

 

"It's been only two weeks, Lena." Kara almost rolled her eyes but held it back and stepped aside. "Wanna come in?"

 

Lena checked her watch and shrugged. "Sure."

 

It had been a while since Kara last saw Lena in her apartment. Many good memories came flooding back like a tidal wave, and Kara was just freshly free of them. She made the tea that Lena liked, and nothing for herself.

 

"How have you been?" Kara asked when she set the steamy cup down.

 

Lena folded her legs neatly, scratching Krypto's neck to ease him. The dog was still glaring at Kara with caution, which jabbed at Kara's heart. “I’ve been fine. Work is still crazy. You?”

 

Kara debated with herself if she should tell Lena about the fall from last week, but she sensed that Lena would get worried. She didn’t want Lena to be worried, especially about her, because she needed this friendship to work. Lena taking care of Kara was one of the things that got them into dating in the first place. “It’s the same, except for the animal’s protest like you already see.”

 

Lena nodded, then her eyes narrowed. She gestured somewhere on Kara’s neck. “Is that a bruise?”

 

As an instinct, Kara reached her neck and ran her hand around to find it. She sensed the slight lump on the tip of her fingers, and the wound didn’t feel too large. Kara knew it was the spot that got her hurt, but if she almost forgot about it most of the time, it couldn’t be serious. “I fell last week.”

 

“Are you okay?” Lena’s eyes were filled with concern. It reminded Kara of all of the good times, and she knew she shouldn’t have let herself be taken back to that place.

 

“I’m fine. I’d get some cold gel for it.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“Just an accident. No big deal.”

 

Lena stared at Kara, didn’t seem convinced. “You should go to see a doctor.”

 

“I plan to,” Kara said, though she wasn’t sure if she would actually go to seek a doctor. If it was just a bruise, then it would heal soon. “Don’t worry.”

 

The grunt from Krypto drew the attention back to the dog. Lena rubbed his head again and wondered, “Do you think he should stay here tonight? He doesn’t seem to be at ease with you.”

 

“Traitor,” Kara joked, “what kind of treat that Lena has given you, huh, boy?”

 

“The superior kind,” Lena smirked, then snickered. “I’m the better mom, aren’t I, Krypto?”

 

Krypto whined and stepped back to hide himself behind Lena's legs again. Kara felt powerless with this. The day had done nothing but boredom, sadness, and annoyance to Kara. Even her dog hated her now. She sighed and said, “Maybe he should stick with you for another week.”

 

Lena gave Kara a look. “Are you sure? I don’t mind, though.”

 

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m tired and he might sense it.”

 

“There has to be a reason for this.” Lena’s gaze lingered at Kara’s hands. “Were those cuts from the accident?”

 

Kara looked down and saw countless little cuts littered all over her skin. It surprised her because they didn’t seem this many when she checked them last night. “I think so.”

 

“What kind of accident was it?” Lena’s voice became stern. “Where did you fall?”

 

Kara darted her eyes away to avoid. “I fell while I was hiking. These are just scratches.”

 

Lena huffed, shaking her head. “You’re still too reckless, Kara. Hiking is great, but don’t do it alone.”

 

It was one of the things that Lena always mentioned: Kara and recklessness. It had bothered her Lena ever since before they even got together. Lena was a careful person, always thought ahead of things. She was a lot different from Kara, which perhaps might be the reason they didn’t work.

 

“I know. Nothing too serious happened.” Kara deliberately kept the attack out of the story because she didn’t want to hear Lena’s _I told you so_. “I’m alive, see?”

 

Kara had no idea how ironic that statement was.

 

___

 

The gagging continued. Kara started feeling hungry, but when she tried to cook something, the smell of cooked meat made her puke air. It got so annoying that Kara threw the pan into the sink. Her stomach grumbled, alerting the hunger. She hated this, so much.

 

Kara opened the fridge again, glaring at the bacon. She loved bacon. This should work. Her mouth watered when she peeled the cover off. The smell of fresh bacon stripes came into her nostrils, and instead of thinking about the crispy bacon after being fried, Kara brought her nose closer to the fresh meat. She took in a whiff and stuck out her tongue.

 

The meat was salty. Kara grunted in hunger, she pulled a stripe out. Instead of putting it on a pan, she felt like she should lick it again. Kara gulped, fighting back the weird urge inside her. This was raw meat. Kara hated raw meat.

 

But she was so hungry. Her eyes locked at the glistering fat along the bacon stripe, at the inviting pink flesh, that she knew would be soft and chewy. Rich. _How the hell do I know that?_

 

Kara closed her eyes, opened her mouth and placed the raw bacon into her mouth. Her jaws started working. Faster, faster, faster. It didn’t taste too bad. Actually, it tasted rather good. Relieved, Kara took all of the raw bacon from the fridge and set them on the table, gradually finished one package after another. She couldn’t even care less that she was eating like an animal but _god_ , it felt good to be fed.

 

Kara kept the secret hidden for a few days. It was great. Kara hadn’t tried raw meat before, but she couldn’t remember why not. After trying raw bacon, Kara looked at the ground meat and decided to give it a try. It became her favorite. Kara could now enjoy a hamburger with every same other ingredients, besides the ground beef that never got cooked.

 

She had thought about going to the doctor, but she felt great. Energetic, joyful, life-loving. Why should she go to see a doctor when her life already felt so much better?

 

_____

 

Kara was walking to her car when she heard something dropped. She turned around and saw an old lady crouching down beside the fallen groceries. Kara quickly approached the woman and asked, “Are you okay, ma’am?”

 

“Oh, yes. It’s just these vegetables.” The lady reached the closest orange with a shaky hand. “I’d be picking them up in no time, darling.”

 

“Please, let me help you.” Kara insisted.

 

She helped the woman picking up everything and brought the bags to her car, which was parked quite far away. Kara wondered why such an old lady would park her vehicle like this. She had to walk around many corners to finally see the car that sat alone in the empty parking lot near the abandoned park.

 

The lady opened the trunk of her car. Kara slowly put the bags down, couldn’t help but feel uneasy with the dark and eerie surrounding. “Why did you park so far away?”

 

“So I can do this.”

 

Kara could only see the gleam of metal at the lady’s hand before she felt a sharp jab right at the neck. The lady bared her teeth, stepping back and pulled off her hair. It was a man in a wig. Kara gasped, her hands stumbled around the knife stuck at her collar, shocked by the incident. “Why?” she asked in fear, knowing that she was too far away and too weak to call out for help.

 

Suddenly, two more people showed up on the sides of the man. They were together, for sure. They had planned to kill and rob her. And here she was, trying to help an old lady with her groceries. Now she would die.

 

The men crouched down to grab her ankles, dragging her away. Kara let out the last breaths, thinking about the things she still hadn’t gotten any chance to do. She wanted to travel the world. She wanted to learn how to surf. She wanted to visit the North Pole.

 

She wanted Lena back.

 

None of those things would be done now because she was on her way to die. The anger rose inside her. Kara was pissed, really pissed. She didn’t hurt anyone, she worked hard, she paid taxes, she treated others well, and now she had to die? No way.

 

Her hand was still at the knife. It was the only weapon she had right now. Kara had watched enough movies to know if she pulled it out, she would bleed and die faster. But she would die either way.

 

The men brought her to the forest next to the city. They wanted to leave her body here. The trees were familiar to Kara, so she had the advantage here. Kara found a tree closest to her and she gripped on it tightly. The sudden hold made the men slip their hands from her ankles.

 

“Shit!”

 

“Get her!”

 

Kara rolled up into the crouch position, the knife was an annoyance, but the adrenaline must have been flying by now. She had no idea what to do next when a gunshot was heard. Kara froze, looked down at her stomach. The shock and anger mixed together into some kind of tsunami of fury.

 

Kara remembered charging at the men. Some moments in the dark, she saw blood, she heard screaming, she smelled fear. It all happened too fast. Somehow she saw things better in the dark. The light splashed everywhere she looked, giving her the focus of the rage.

 

When she finally slowed down and took a moment to observe, Kara only then realized what she had just done.

 

Blood.

 

Blood was everywhere. On her clothes, in her mouth, on her face, her hands. Kara panted, turned left and right. The men scattered, or more precisely, their _body parts._ Her legs started to wobble. Kara dropped to her knees, her hands shook.

 

_I just killed three people._

 

Kara blinked and crawled away from the corpses. She did this, with her bare hands. Something was wrong with her. Something had been wrong with her ever since the attack, she just didn’t want to accept it. She was a murderer.

 

“W-what are you?”

 

Kara lifted her head and found that a man was still alive. His arm was detached from the shoulder, though. “I don’t know,” she muttered.

 

“Mommy, please help me,” he begged. Then he slipped out the last breath.

 

Her eyes weirdly lowered down to the flesh that was still flowing with blood and _licked her lips._

 

Suddenly, the dying man in front of her was no longer a man but a stripe of bacon. Pure fresh meat. Just as simple as that.

 

Her stomach growled. Somehow, everything she could feel at the moment was the burning hunger in her belly. The blood lust from before clearly had drained her energy. Now Kara was hungry.

 

And when she got hungry, she had to eat. Everything in sight. Kara had no idea how she was able to do it, but she crouched down and tore the man's arm out to plunge her teeth into the chubby bicep.

 

Somewhere during the _feast_ , it grew into her mind that she was the murderer of three people, so she better hid every evidence possible in the most secure place. In her stomach. At one point, she felt like a monster. When she finished devouring a man, Kara gagged and threw up a little. It wasn’t because she was disgusted by her own action. No, she had detached herself from the human point of view just to get through the night. She gagged because her stomach was too full to eat another man.

 

“What did I do?” Kara muttered to herself as she stood up. Her hand instinctively reached the knife stuck in her neck. She pulled it out effortlessly. There was no hint of pain. Somehow it didn’t surprise her at all. Why should it surprise her when she just literally fed on a dead human?

 

Kara ran back to the man’s car and search the trunk. Luckily, there were two shovels in there. These men really had planned to kill and bury her. Ironically how this night turned out to be for them.

 

It occurred to Kara that she had made lots of bad choices in life. Never had she thought she would be in the forest, digging a massive grave for some corpses and for her future as well.

 

A sudden sound startled her. It took Kara a moment to realize it was her phone. Someone was calling her. Wiping the bloody hand on her pants, Kara pulled out the phone and cursed. Lena’s name was on the display. She must have called because she had brought Krypto to Kara’s apartment and Kara was not home.

 

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

 

Kara had to answer the call. If she didn't, Lena would get worried and she might get involved in this horrifying deed Kara was doing.

 

Swiping to take the call, Kara held the phone close to her ear. “Lena?”

 

_“Kara. Are you not home? I’ve been ringing the bell for like ten minutes.”_

 

“I’m sorry. I’m having some-” Kara looked down at the dismembered men at her feet, “-stuff to do.”

 

 _“You could have alerted me.”_ She heard Lena sigh. Kara hated it whenever she disappointed Lena. It was what had gotten them to drift apart before. _“Where are you now?”_

 

Kara looked up and saw the night sky covered by the trees. “I’m outside.” It was the truth. Kara could hardly lie to Lena.

 

There was a short pause before Lena asked with a soft tone, _“Are you in trouble? What are you doing?”_

 

It startled Kara. Lena was sharp, she could tell. Even so, Kara would never let Lena fall into this mess. “No. I’m just having a few things to take care of.” _I’m burying three dead bodies._

 

_“Okay. When will you be back?”_

 

Kara took a look at the almost finished grave and answered, “In an hour.”

 

_“Alright. See you later.”_

 

Kara let out a relieved sigh. Lena was a person of accurate time. She would not return to Kara’s door for another hour. Kara should have enough time to bury the bodies, get herself cleaned up and climb out of the apartment to make it like she just came back home.

 

_Great. Now I’m thinking like a serial killer._

 

She didn’t waste any minute. Kara never knew how strong she was and how big her endurance was until she was put into this situation. She dug a deep grave, pushed the bodies down, then filled the grave in less than an hour. She doubted this was her true strength. Kara was fit, but not this strong. It must have something to do with the fact that she ate raw meat and human. It scared her, of course, but she had no time to worry about it. First, she needed to stay off Lena’s sharp radar.

 

Kara came back to the man’s car and checked to find some clothing. She needed something to cover up the bloody clothes. Cursing herself for not thinking about covering up before burying the dead bodies, Kara went through the trunk and fortunately, there was a jacket. Then she left the car after pretending to open the glove box to stage it as a robbery.

 

There was a shortcut back to her apartment, and of course, Kara took it discretely. Lena would be back in ten minutes, so Kara must hurry. She reached the main street after passing lots of alleys. Some homeless people spotted her, but she doubted they could see her face because she was quick and her face was covered by the jacket hoodie. When she approached the building of her apartment, Kara made a quick calculation between throwing the blood clothes away or just kept them tonight and dispose of them later. Anything could be traced back to her. So dangerous.

 

She climbed up the back door stairs with inhuman strength, considering how her night had been. Kara tried to lift the window, then she remembered how she always locked the windows before leaving home.

 

_Damn you, careful Kara!_

 

Kara gritted her teeth and pulled the frame up. The lock could be heard from the inside, struggling to fight back the intrusion. She pulled the frame once, twice. It didn’t budge. Kara remembered how she easily overpowered the three men earlier and wondered if she hadn’t used up all of her weird supernatural strength.

 

 _To hell with it._ Kara took a moment and sharply yanked the frame up. It broke, creating a spiky hole. The pieces in her hands should have cut into her and she should feel pain but she didn’t. Kara had a weird moment of acceptance and used both hands to spread the hole apart so she could climb inside and get a shower before Lena got back.

 

Kara set one foot into the apartment, crouched lower to brought her upper body in, and before she got the other foot inside, the lights suddenly turned on. She whipped her head to the door and saw a surprised Lena, one of her hand was on the switch, her eyes opened wide, her jaws dropped.

 

“I can explain.” Those three words were the only thing Kara could say before Lena’s deafening scream forced her into action.

 

____

 

Kara had no idea how but in a blink of an eye, she was already next to Lena, one hand covering her mouth. She shushed Lena, who was shaking in fear. Kara knew how it looked like. If she saw a bloody figure climbing into the window, she would scream too. Lena wiggled hard, but Kara had no trouble keeping her in place.

 

“It’s me, Lena,” Kara whispered, waiting for Lena to calm down. “Don’t freak out. I can explain.” Lena’s shocked eyes melted into a frown. “I’m going to let you go now. Please don’t scream.”

 

Kara slowly loosened the grip after Lena nodded. Her ex-girlfriend staggered backward, looking at her up and down. “What the fuck, Kara? What happened to you?”

 

“It’s a long story.” Kara scratched her head, trying to find a way to make her evening less a horror tale.

 

“You’re covered in blood, Kara. Are you hurt?” Lena approached her slowly, not paying attention to the dirt and blood that already got onto her own clothes. “Someone attacked you?”

 

“Yeah,” Kara admitted a part of the truth. “It’s fine now."

 

"Fine?" Lena almost shrieked but she inhaled, exhales, and calmly said, "Kara, you can tell me. I know something is wrong. Krypton acts weird around you, and weird I mean scared. He is _scared_ of going back here. And now, look at you. This isn't fine, Kara. What happened?"

 

Kara sighed, knowing that she only had one option if she wanted to keep this from Lena. Lie.

 

"Some men tried to kill me." She couldn't do this to Lena. They had promised to always be honest, and during this horrid night, the last thing she wanted to suffer from was the pressure of lying to the person she loved more than her life. "One of them pretended to be an old lady needing help so I helped her. He attacked me. I fought back."

 

Lena opened her mouth, closed, and opened again. "You're attacked?"

 

"Yes."

 

"How?"

 

"He stabbed me with a knife."

 

Lena gasped in fear. "Oh my god, Kara. We should go to the hospital!"

 

“I can’t do that.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Kara bit her lip, trying to form the perfect sentence. "I don’t feel anything." She knew it sounded crazy and scary as soon as she spoke it. The change of expression on Lena's face was haunting. Kara had never seen Lena looking like that before.

 

“What do you mean you don’t feel anything? How can you not feel anything?” Lena frowned, shifting from left to right on her feet. “I don’t understand.”

 

“I don’t either.” Kara licked her lips, scared and unsure. She trusted Lena with everything, and she needed someone to explain what the heck was going on with her. “I think I changed. I’ve changed into something not normal.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Kara huffed, walking straight towards the fridge and took out a package of bacon. She stripped off the wrapping and pulled a stripe out. “Lena, this is what I’ve been eating.” Then she proceeded to eat the raw bacon stripe in front of Lena to prove the point.

 

Her ex-girlfriend stared at her, not moving for a few seconds, then she slowly sat down on the nearest chair. “Okay, you eat raw bacon.”

 

“Not just raw bacon. _Raw meat_.” Kara scratched her neck. “And cooked meat makes me gag. I can’t digest food anymore.” In this very moment, suddenly the reality hit Kara. “I can’t eat human food anymore.”

 

Lena’s eyebrows rose up to her hairline. “What are you saying? Are you _not_ human anymore?”

 

“It sounds crazy, I know,” Kara whined and covered her eyes. “And I just killed three people.”

 

“What?” Kara heard Lena jump out of the chair. “You mean the men who attacked you?”

 

“Yes.” She lowered her hands.

 

“How?”

 

“Something just came over me after they stabbed me in the neck and dragged me into the forest.” Kara waved her hands around, trying to explain the weirdness that had been going on with her recently. “I went on a rampage. And I ate them.”

 

If Lena hadn’t been shocked before, she was certainly shocked now. She froze on her feet for a few seconds before blinked rapidly. “Excuse me? You _ate_ someone? Who?”

 

“The men who attacked me. _One_ of them. And yes.” Kara glanced at the bacon and back at Lena. “Just like how I ate that bacon.”

 

“That’s not what I had in mind when you said you ate someone.”

 

The innuendo made Kara chuckle, even in such an unfunny situation. “Fine, I devoured one of them. The other two, I buried.”

 

Lena crossed her arms, looking troubled. “It all sounds so insane but it does explain why Krypto is afraid of you.”

 

The discovery now dawned on Kara. “He thinks I would eat him.”

 

Lena gave her an understanding look. “Animals have sharp instincts. He sensed the difference in you last week, I think.”

 

“It must be it.” Kara looked around. “Speaking of Krypto, isn’t he here with you?”

 

“Yeah, he was. I brought him here, then to Mrs. Jones downstairs. Krypto always likes playing with Mr. Nuggets, remember?” A small smile curved up Lena’s lips, then disappeared. “I let him play there to come back and check up on you. I’m sorry that I intruded but Krypto misses the toy he left here.”

 

“How did you get in?”

 

“You always leave a key on the top of the door frame.”

 

The memories returned to Kara’s mind. They had had such happy days. Now everything changed. Drastically.

 

“Those men deserved it,” Lena said suddenly. Kara lifted her chin. There was an intensity of sadness and relief in her beautiful green eyes. “They tried to kill you. You’re not at fault in this. No matter what is happening to you.”

 

Kara felt shy. She didn’t expect Lena would understand so quickly, and frankly, Lena took the news rather well. Someone else must have had Kara committed to a mental institute by now. “Thank you,” she muttered.

 

“Did anyone see you coming back here?” Lena asked again, her voice was stern and cautious.

 

“No. This jacket isn’t mine. I took it from the man's car.”

 

“Then you should take it off and give it to me. I’ll get rid of it somewhere far from here. It’ll reduce the chance anyone connecting you with the… scene.”

 

“The murder, you mean.” Kara corrected with a shrug. “It’s okay. You can say it. I’m a murderer.”

 

“We still have to figure out what is happening to you. Until then, you are not a murderer.” Lena quickly responded and extended a hand. “Now, give me the jacket.”

 

When Kara stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from gore and dirt, she saw Lena was pouring the broken glass into the trash can. Lena explained that she had to shut the blinds tonight so nobody would know the window was broken. The jacket had been put into a plastic ziplock bag, placed inside Lena’s hand purse.

 

“I’m sorry,” Kara said to Lena when she saw Lena off. Lena paused in front of the door.

 

“Why?”

 

“For dragging you into this.”

 

“You didn’t. I was the one who walked in here without permission.” Lena chuckled. “I suppose that you were trying to keep me out of this, right?”

 

“I was.” Kara wanted to take a step closer to Lena, but then she remembered that Lena wasn’t really safe around her, and distance must be held, so she didn’t. “I really appreciate your help tonight, Lena.”

 

Lena smiled and said as she opened the door, “What friends are for, am I right? Good night. I’ll come back tomorrow. We’ll figure this out together.”

 

Kara couldn’t sleep that night, for many obvious reasons. The biggest of them all wasn’t even about the dead men or the fact that Kara ate human now. Her mind was filled with how caring and supporting Lena was throughout the unbelievable events. Kara had thought she was alone in this but everything didn’t seem too bad when there was someone you could count on, always.

 

_____

 

“Tell me everything from the beginning.”

 

“It started last Sunday when I went on a hike alone.” Kara proceeded to tell Lena every detail since that fateful night. From the mysterious attack to the endless tiredness, the cuts that came and went all over her skin, the ache in her back, and the crazy diet of raw meat and human flesh.

 

Lena clicked the pen and set it on the table. She had been here since the morning in her regular clothes and ready attitude to help. Kara still couldn’t believe she got to spend the entire Saturday with Lena, even in such an abnormal situation like this. Krypto was brought into a pet care clinic before Lena got here, so they would have time to figure out what fortune, or more exactly, misfortune was going on with Kara.

 

“I have a fair idea of what you might be right now,” Lena said, arching an eyebrow in victory. “But first, this.” She crouched over and punched Kara right on the forearm!

 

“Hey!” Kara whined. “That hurts!”

 

“Really?” Lena seemed genuinely surprised.

 

Kara took a moment to check. She rubbed her hand on the spot that got punched. “Well, not really. It’s actually more ticklish than painful. Slightly annoying. Weird.”

 

Lena grabbed the pen and wrote something more down on her note. “ _Doesn’t-feel-pain._ I actually saw that coming.”

 

“Oh. Was that why you punched me?” Kara cheekily asked.

 

“No. I punched you because you didn’t tell me you got attacked during the hike. How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?” Lena frowned, shaking her head slightly. “You are so stubborn. It’s freaking annoying of you.”

 

“I got my lesson, ma’am,” Kara admitted, embarrassed.

 

“Good.” Lena smiled and sat straighter. “Have you heard about ‘zombies’?”

 

Kara nodded. “I have.” A light of realization struck her. “Do you I think I’m a zombie? Like a brain-eating, growling, blood-dripping, teeth-falling zombie?"

 

Lena gave her an amused look. "Why do I have a feeling you're enjoying this?"

 

"I don't. It's just… weird. Zombie is something you only see in movies and comics, you know." Kara shrugged. "So, what do you think?"

 

Lena opened her laptop on the table and started typing away in the search. After a few minutes, she nodded. "I think zombie is our best guess. The thing is, if you are a zombie, it means you're…" Lena turned to look at Kara with a longing look.

 

"I'm what?"

 

"You're dead."

 

The word came over Kara like a bucket of icy water. She slumped in the seat, running fingers in her hair as if it would help her deal with the fact better. “I’m dead,” she repeated dreadfully.

 

“Only technically,” Lena muttered, scooting slightly closer to Kara on the couch. “You’re not _dead_ dead, obviously.”

 

Kara inhaled strongly, then exhaled a smile. “That’s the positive thing, right?”

 

“Yes, and have you experienced overwhelming crave for human flesh?” Lena asked with wide eyes full of curiosity.

 

“If you’re talking about last night-”

 

“Not last night. Daily. Do you feel like you want to eat a human?”

 

Kara’s eyes dropped down at Lena’s lips. She knew she wanted to _eat_ Lena, but not in the literal sense. But they both knew what Lena meant by ‘eat’. “No. Just any raw meat would be fine for me.”

 

"And what happens when you're hungry?"

 

"I'd be tired, really tired. Slow."

 

Lena smiled. "Makes perfect sense. Now, can you take your shirt off?"

 

Kara's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

 

It took Lena a second before her cheeks reddened. "Oh, I mean that I want to see where you got stabbed last night. You don't have to do it if you're uncomfortable. I get it."

 

"No, it's fine. You're the scientist. I'm the lab rat." Kara awkwardly stood up as Lena looked away.

 

"You're not a lab rat." Kara heard Lena say while she stripped off the T-shirt. "And just because I work for my brother at a lab, doesn't mean I'm a scientist."

 

Kara set the shirt down and faced Lena. Her ex was still sitting with her back at her. It gave Kara a free moment to recall how much she missed Lena. Not that they didn't meet regularly, but Kara always had a void in her heart, a spot that only Lena could fit. Now fate had brought her to this position, where it was obvious that there was no more chance for her and Lena. The black hair that she loved, the smooth skin that she adored, the woman whom she loved, all was here but was also too far away. They were now officially on two sides of the universe.

 

Setting aside the growing heartbreak, Kara cleared her throat. "You can turn around now." When their eyes met, Kara added, "You are the smartest person I know, even smarter than Lex can ever be. Don't think too little of yourself."

 

Lena hid a smile. "You don't need to flatter me."

 

"I'm not. I'm telling the truth. _'Dead men tell no lies'_ , right?"

 

Her ex snickered, "How many death puns are you going to make?"

 

"As long as I stay dead."

 

Lena scoffed and waved her hand. "Come here."

 

So Kara sat still in a bra, holding breaths as Lena traced her hands on the wound that presumably killed her. She knew exactly where Lena's fingers were, and how soft they were, especially when they touched the right places. She closed her eyes, trying to stay focus.

 

_This isn’t intimacy. This isn’t us._

 

She couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed when Lena’s hands didn’t go up to her hairline and scratched the spot gently like how she used to do. Kara bit back a sigh, gluing her eyes at a random object on the wall to keep herself distracted from the alluring sensation Lena was bringing her.

 

Kara’s hands twitched, yearning to touch Lena. She held them in place, keeping the proper distance. “Can I ask you something?” she spoke, breaking the silence.

 

“Sure.”

 

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

 

Lena’s hands stopped moving. They retreated from Kara’s neck and she missed the heat immediately. Half of Kara wanted to chase after that warmth, hold it tight, and never let it go. The other half accepted the truth that she had no right to do that anymore.

 

“Should I be?” Lena’s voice sounded so soft and mellow, like a whisper by the fireplace.

 

Kara looked at Lena, honestly stated, “I will never hurt you. But now I’m not myself, I’m not the Kara Danvers you know. I killed people. I eat raw meat. I’m a walking corpse.” She took a pause, trying to keep a neutral face. “I won’t blame you if you’re afraid.”

 

Lena seemed surprised for a moment before her face melted into a soft smile. “You weren’t afraid to be around me, the daughter of the Luthor Gang Leader. The things you did yesterday were not as bad as half of the things that I’m sure my dad was a part of. Just talking to me would put you in the aim of my father. Yet you still do it. If you weren’t afraid then, I’m not afraid now.”

 

Kara wanted to argue that running a gang was not the same with being a flesh-eating zombie, but she shut her mouth. Lena had a point. The Luthors were notorious for the horrible crime they did back when Lionel Luthor was still alive. Kara doubted that she could have her life together if Lionel wasn’t killed in a trade gone wrong. The gang fell apart after that, and the city found its peace.

 

“So what now? What am I supposed to do next after finding out that I’m a zombie?” Kara grabbed the T-shirt and put it on. She didn’t feel cold or anything, but she’d rather not show Lena the scary wounds on her body for too long. Even Kara couldn’t stand looking at them herself.

 

“I’d like to have a sample of your blood for now. We can go to Sam and ask her for an MRI scan.” Lena tapped her chin, thinking. “You should write everything you eat for the next two weeks, and if you can note down your emotional tracks, it'd be great."

 

Kara arched an eyebrow. "Emotional tracks? Like hungry or not hungry?"

 

Lena chuckled. "Of course, you'd think _hungry_ is an emotion. No, silly. Scared, angry, sad… things like that."

 

"Is that so?" Kara grinned, crossing her legs on the couch. "Should I tell you what I'm feeling right now?"

 

Lena gave her a soft glare. "That smile of yours already tells me what you have in mind."

 

"And that is?" Kara taunted.

 

Her ex-girlfriend rolled her eyes, then walked towards the door. "I'll come back later for that blood sample. For now, take a shower. You smell like a-"

 

"Corpse?"

 

Lena smirked, "I was going to say 'wet dog'. See you later, Corpsy."

 

Kara held onto her grin even long after the door closed.


End file.
